Irish Acres/ The Glitz in Versailles KY

My wife has been to Irish Acres (the antique part) and The Glitz (the food part, in the basement) a few times and she FINALLY took me with her!

MAN is this place incredible!  I love hitting antique stores to check things out.....  but this place is a bit over the top!  I like small items.  I love old postcards and matchbooks......  but Irish Acres is NOT that kind of place!  Its a bit more high end.  They have some really interesting furniture, artwork, and other items.  MANY of the rooms in this extensive place are set up like a house.  This would be a perfect place for home decorators and artists to come to for inspiration.

I did see several things though that got me thinking.  I love old bookends, with a historic connection, and I saw some great ones here.  There were some really unique lamps too.  I enjoyed reading the descriptions on the art.....  One original piece caught my attention as it noted that President Reagan collected art from the artist!

We had reservations for lunch though, and after exploring the antique area, we headed for the basement for an amazing lunch!

My photos DO NOT do justice to the food.....  I hate using a flash because it is disruptive, so my pictures are a bit dark.  Let me tell you about the food though...

They brought out some refresher drinks that were sweet and sooooo enjoyable.  It was some sort of apple spiced tea drink with cherry.  I know the Buckhorn Inn in Gatlinburg has a similar drink for their meals that I have raved about here before.  This drink was similar, but still very unique.

They also brought out a very nice watermelon dish that was also different.  I think it was soaked in something, and topped with something else....... I can't remember right now but that was a nice starter too!

For appetizers, I had the shrimp aioli and my wife had the roasted tomato soup.  We shared, of course, and both were unbelievable.  I know my picture shows 3 pieces of shrimp, but those three pieces went a long way.  They were larger than they look and the flavor packed a wallop.  This was some of the best shrimp I have ever had...  and I love shrimp.

I had the Chicken Kit Carson for my entrée and it reminded me of something I might get at a Mexican restaurant, but it wasn't as heavy.  It tasted very fresh and light, actually.

My wife had their Summer Harvest Salad which she said was delicious and interesting.  She did not think the combinations (sliced plums, roasted beets, butternut squash chips, toasted pecans and goat cheese, among other ingredients) would mix well, but she said they absolutely were perfect together.

For dessert I had their chocolaty Nonesuch Kiss (jamoca ice cream, hot fudge sauce, toasted almonds, whipped cream) and my wife had the grape cobbler.  Both were great endings to a perfect meal.

Oh, I had coffee here.....  AND you know I love coffee.  I have said this before, but there is simply good coffee made right, and acceptable coffee (you know....  its not real tasty, but, you drink it anyway because its coffee).  The majority of places serve acceptable coffee.  Not here.  Along with getting the food perfect, they NAILED the coffee.  It tasted fresh and good.....  and I had several refills.

As my wife and I sat in the cavernous old school house basement, enjoying the food and the setting, our kind young waiter offered to take a photo of us.  He left for a bit and came back out, taking my phone to take some pictures, I could tell that he had used some antibacterial before taking my phone.  The Glitz hit it out of the park on every level.  How kind, thoughtful and appropriate right now.

Lunch is right under $30 a person here, which, for what you get, is a good value in my books (I can think of some overrated chain restaurants where you might pay a lot more for a lot less).